Leafstar's Battle
by Foxdawn
Summary: Firestar and Sandstorm have left SkyClan, the fifth Clan, alone in the gorge to fend for themselves. SkyClan seems to be thriving, but hidden dangers lurk everywhere. Will Leafstar be able to save her Clan from destruction? Or will SkyClan once again fall to their doom?
1. Allegiances

_**Allegiances**_

 **SkyClan**

 **Leader:** Leafstar- brown-and-cream tabby she-cat

 **Deputy:** Sharpclaw- dark ginger tabby tom

 **Medicine Cat:** Echosong- small silver-grey tabby she-cat

 **Medicine Cat Apprentice:** Frecklewish- mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs (former Daylight-warrior)

 **Warriors:**

Sparrowpelt- dark brown tabby tom (former kittypet)

Cherrytail- tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat (former kittypet)

Billystorm- ginger-and-white tom (former Daylight-warrior)

Fallowfern- pale brown she-cat

 _Apprentice, Leopardpaw_

Waspwhisker- grey-and-white tom (former rogue)

Shrewtooth- skinny black tom

Bouncefire- ginger tom

Rockshade- black tom with a torn ear

Tinycloud- small white she-cat

Sagefur- small, pale grey tabby tom

Mintfur- short-legged grey tabby she-cat

 _Apprentice, Cloudpaw_

Eggwhisker- long-legged cream-colored tom (former rogue)

 _Apprentice, Grasspaw_

Rabbitleap- brown tom

Nettlesplash- pale brown tom

Creekfeather- grey tabby tom

Plumwillow- dark grey she-cat

Spookytail- golden tom with a dark face, paws, and tail (Daylight-warrior)

 _Apprentice,_ _Fluffypaw_

Mickynose- pale ginger tabby tom (Daylight-warrior)

Slywhisker- black tom with a white blaze on his chest (Daylight-warrior)

Sandypelt- light-colored tom with a darker tail-tip, paws, and ears

Stormfire- grey-and-ginger she-cat

Harryclaw- grey tom with a pale muzzle and underside

 _Apprentice, Cloudpaw_

 **Apprentices:**

Grasspaw- silver tabby she-cat

Cloudpaw- brown tabby tom with white paws

Heatherpaw- russet-furred tom

Leopardpaw- dark ginger she-cat with lighter tabby stripes

Fluffypaw- fluffy long-haired grey tom (Daylight-warrior apprentice)

 **Queens:**

Birdscar- black she-cat with a grey muzzle (mother of Slywhisker's kits: Furzekit- tortoiseshell she-cat with white tabby stripes; Ashkit- dark, grey-black tom with a pale underbelly; Chivekit- night-black tom with a grey underbelly and a white muzzle)

Honeywing- light-colored she-cat (Expecting Creekfeather's kits)

Firecloud- ginger she-cat (Expecting Sandypelt's kits)

 **Elders:**

Ebonyclaw- black she-cat (Daylight-warrior)

Macgyver- black-and-white tom (Daylight-warrior)

Harveymoon- thick-furred white tom (Daylight-warrior)

Clovertail- light brown she-cat with a white underbelly and legs

Tangle- large tabby tom

Patchfoot- black-and-white tom

Petalnose- very pale grey she-cat


	2. Prologue

_The moon clawed its way_ slowly upward, just barely below the peak of its flight through the night sky. Glittering white stars shone brightly in Silverpelt, reflecting off the black water of the night-colored stream that raced below. An owl call echoed through the stars, while a gentle, whistling breeze ruffled the tall grass and ferns, making them shiver in the cool of the night.

The shadowy, moon-bathed form of a lone she-cat trekked its way through the midnight forest, her tail swaying out behind her and weaving through the rough, dry grass. Her brown-and-cream tabby pelt shone silver as she stepped through a pool of un-shadowed moonlight. The she-cat looked fearful as the bushes ahead swayed in the breeze, her amber eyes glowing uncertainly in the half-light of the forest.

"Sharpclaw?" Her voice, shaky and nervous yet surprisingly loud, drifted through the night air. Hearing no answer, she glanced warily around, hopefully searching for the broad-shouldered tabby tom. She paused for a moment within in pool of moonlight, seeming to desperately wish for the SkyClan deputy to appear.

"Echosong? Frecklewish?" She asked into the darkness, her voice once again drifting into the night. When no reply came, she continued forward, her silvery form fading to shadowy grey as the pool of moonlight was left behind. She stepped carefully between bracken tendrils and thorny brambles that seemed to claw toward her, reaching desperately to catch on her soft tabby pelt. She paused, standing at the base of a towering, sleek black stone.

Gracefully, she leaped through the air and planted her paws on the rock, her claws sliding out and digging into the cracks within the stone. The she-cat turned around, overlooking the forest, her gaze raking over every bramble or tendril of ivy. Finally, she lowered her tail, wrapping it around her paws as she sat back on the cold stone.

"Spottedleaf? Buzzardstar?" Her call echoed eerily through the woods, cracking through the silence like claws raking down the trunk of a tree. The fur on her neck began to rise, and an unsettled feeling balled in her stomach. She glanced around wildly as the sound of pawsteps grew closer, racing toward her. "Where am I?" She whispered. _Oh StarClan, show me the way!_ She pleaded silently, uncertainly digging her claws deeper into the jagged grooves of the black stone.

"Leafstar!" The she-cat whirled around, her amber eyes stretched wide with fear and her fur bristling nervously. Once again her gaze raked through the shadows of the surrounding woods, searching for the source of the voice. But no matter where she looked, all she could see were the huge trees that stood silently around her, the grass weaving around their thick trunks.

Once again the call of "Leafstar!" echoed through the woods. This time however, Leafstar locked her gaze on two silhouettes that stood several fox-lengths away from the glistening black stone. She narrowed her eyes, squinting in an attempt to get a better view of the approaching strangers. She gasped as the silvery pool of the moon flashed over the cats' pelt, lighting up a tongue of ginger flame. A moment later, it was gone, replaced by the shadowy form of the two figures.

That one moment had been enough, however. Immediately, every whisker of Leafstar's fear vanished, malting away like dew in the Greenleaf sun. She felt her fur flatten in relief as the two toms leaped up on the rock beside her.

"Firestar!" Leafstar cried in surprise, leaping toward him. The ginger ThunderClan tom smiled as she approached, his leaf-green eyes shining silver in the moonlight. As he stood across from her, she could see his ginger, flame-colored pelt more clearly, and the soft, cloudy pelt of his companion.

"Am I in StarClan? Why did you bring me here? Cloudstar?" Leafstar asked, recognizing Firestar's starry, cloud-colored companion for the first time. Firestar's fur spiked along his neck, and a look of wariness flashed across his gaze, quickly replaced by wistfulness. Cloudstar, however, betrayed only deep sadness as he blinked his eyes shut for a moment, his head bowed.

"Yes, this is StarClan." Cloudstar replied final, looking around at the dark, looming trees that surrounded them. "But not the StarClan it once was."

"I remember visiting here for my nine-lives ceremony. Everything was bright and beautiful. This place…It's more like the Place of No Stars." Leafstar shivered as she spoke. _StarClan…what happened to it?_

"StarClan is at war." Cloudstar hissed, lashing his tail and whirling around, away from Leafstar.

"What are they fighting about?" Leafstar gasped, worried. _StarClan? At…at war? How is this possible?_

"SkyClan." Cloudstar spat.

Leafstar blinked. "SkyClan? Why are they fighting over SkyClan? We can take care of ourselves."

"Leafstar, we didn't bring you here to worry about StarClan's problems. There is another reason entirely." Firestar meowed, his gaze darkening.

Leafstar felt icy claws grip her belly. "Is SkyClan in danger?"

Firestar did not reply, but the look in his eyes as he met Leafstar's gaze betrayed his emotions. "A dark storm is rising. Worse than everything SkyClan has faced. SkyClan may not survive."

"Don't say that!" Leafstar hissed defiantly. "SkyClan is stronger than it ever has been. We can whether any storm!" Despite her strong words, Leafstar felt uneasiness and fear ball in her belly.

"A storm is rising." Firestar repeated simply, his gaze sorrowful. Leafstar closed her eyes, determination pulsing through her.

Leafstar shivered as a biting wind swept through the dimly lit woods, rattling the dark leaves that dangled high above her head. Ferns and brambles tugged at her fur as the three cats huddled together between the trees, pressing themselves close to the icy stone. Leafstar looked up at Firestar again, his handsome ginger pelt glowing, and his green eyes clouded with sadness. Slowly, without warning, Firestar and Cloudstar began to fade, so that Leafstar could see the brambles and ferns that they stood in front of.

"Firestar! Cloudstar! Don't go!" Leafstar cried. _There's still so much I have to ask you!_ She added silently. Panic tugged at her paws as she stepped forward toward Firestar.

"Remember what I said, Leafstar." He murmured. "The end in come, the storm will rise, and the Sky will fall." Leafstar shivered as the words snaked through the air.

"Firestar!" She yowled desperately as he dissolved completely, leaving her surrounded by shadows. "Firestar!"

 _A storm is rising. A storm is rising. The Sky will fall._ His ominous words rang in her ears, and she felt her fur fluff up defensively. _A storm may be rising, the end may come, but SkyClan_ will _survive. We must._


	3. Chapter One

_Leafstar groggily blinked open her_ eyes and flicked her tail over her muzzle as the sounds of her Clanmates' voices drifted up into her den from the gorge below. Fiery rays of sunlight slanted onto the floor the den, turning the sandy brown stone before her to a beautiful copper.

She rose to her paws, shaking the moss from her tabby pelt and giving the fur on her back a quick swipe with her tongue. The place by her side where Billystorm usually slept was already empty, though his scent still lingered by his side, despite his absence.

 _I'm so lucky to have him. He's one of the best Warriors I know, despite his kittypet past._

Leafstar could clearly recall the day Billystorm had pledged his complete devotion and loyalty to SkyClan...and to her. He had pushed away his kittypet background, become a full SkyClan warrior, and became the perfect father to her three kits.

The growing sunlight warmed Leafstar's pelt as she slid out from the leader den and scanned the gorge that sloped down before her. Below, she spotted the grey tabby pelt of Mintfur and Rockshade as they demonstrated their upward leaps to Cloudpaw, Leopardpaw, and Grasspaw. She watched as their sleek forms rocketed into the air, then fell back to the earth with perfect balance, resembling silvery fish as they leapt from the stream and twisted playfully into the air.

"Leafstar!" The cream-furred tabby she-cat turned her attention away from the two warriors, until it landed on the one who had called out to her.

Just outside the nursery, the bright ginger fur of Firecloud stood, her pelt shining like a thin tongue of dancing flame. The ginger she-cat's swollen belly sagged toward the earth, heavy laden with her unborn kits. Leafstar couldn't help but feel a surge of pride in her chest at the sight of her daughter. _Firecloud...having kits! My grandkits!_

Though Echosong had assured Firecloud that her kits wouldn't arrive for at least another moon, Leafstar felt as if they were already born. Firecloud looked closer and closer to kitting every day, her belly growing steadily larger with the promise of new life.

 _Not only that, but Birdscar's kits are almost ready to be apprenticed, and Cloudpaw and Grasspaw will be warriors within the moon! SkyClan is strong. We are ready._

"We can handle whatever you throw at us, Firestar." She murmured softly to herself, her gaze slipping away from Firecloud.

"What was that?"

Leafstar jumped at the sound of Stormfire's voice, and turned to look at the grey she-cat beside her. Her daughter's eyes shone with unspoken worry, and the hair on the back of her neck had begun to rise.

"Oh!" Leafstar shook her head quickly, realizing that she had spoken out loud. "Nothing! Nothing at all! I was just thinking out loud. Has the dawn patrol returned yet?"

To Leafstar's relief, the worry in the tabby she-cat's blue eyes melted away and was quickly replaced with the usual hard, determined gleam.

"Uh-huh. We just got back. Eggwhisker and Fallowfern caught a strong scent of rogue up by the Twolegplace, so Sharpclaw though you could take a patrol up there to check it out." Stormfire replied, tail lashing. "It seemed like there was a whole group passing through. Sharpclaw said we needed to keep a close eye on that border."

Leafstar felt the icy claws of fear grip her stomach as Stormfire spoke. _Could it be some of Dodge's cats, or Stick's cats?_

She could clearly remember that battle so many moons ago, before her kits were born, against the group of rogues led by Dodge, a wiley alley cat. A rogue called Stick tricked SkyClan into helping him defeat Dodge and his group, but the battle had been much more deadly than Leafstar could have imagined. Stick's daughter was killed, and Leafstar herself had lost a life.

 _Just two left._ She thought bitterly, closing her eyes for a moment. _Only two more lives to lead my Clan. Could my kits survive without me?_

"Leafstar? Are you okay?" Stormfire's urging voice once again pulled Leafstar back to the present, pushing thoughts of death and battle to th back of her mind.

"Yes, I'm fine." Leafstar replied, rising to her paws and gracefully leaping onto the rockpile. "Please get Shrewtooth, Rabbitleap, and Tinycloud from the warriors den, if you would. I want to take them on my patrol. And if you see Sharpclaw, tell him to come find me, I want him with me too. Oh! Have you seen Billystorm?"

"Yes. He took out a hunting patrol just before I saw you." Stormfire replied, leaping up the slope. "I'll get Harryclaw and Heatherpaw too, yes?" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the shadowy mouth of the warrior den.

"Yes. Thank you, Stormfire." Leafstar whispered, though the ginger she-cat was out of sight. Leafstar flicked her tail and dropped down to land beside the stream, her eyes fixed on the top of the gorge when golden sunlight trickled down over the tawny rocks, washing away the looming shadows that lurked in the crevices.

 _SkyClan will live. I know it._

* * *

"We we just about here when Fallowfern first picked up their scent." Eggwhisker meowed, waving his tail in a gesture to the SkyClan border that lay less than a tail-length away. "There are at least five different scents up there, but we caught the first one here."

"Did they cross the border?" Tinycloud growled, lashing her tail.

"Not down here. Their scent went way up that way, though, but we didn't check it all out in case we ran into any hostility. Our patrol wasn't prepared for an attack against that many." Eggwhisker replied.

"Leafstar?" Sharpclaw turned to look at her, his amber eyes watching her carefully, awaiting her decision.

"We'll split up. Sharpclaw, you take Tinycloud, Eggwhisker, and Heatherpaw and head toward Twolegplace. I'll take Harryclaw, Shrewtooth, and Rabbitleap back toward carrionplace. If we meet trouble, send someone back to camp to get another battle patrol. Report back at camp around sunhigh, yes?" Leafstar meowed, watching her deputy closely to gauge his reaction.

In the past, Sharpclaw had been a little too commanding and too quick to take control, pushing Leafstar aside. Despite this, Leafstar knew there was no cat more loyal to SkyClan than Sharpclaw, and no matter what he did, the Clan was always the thing at the front of his mind.

Sharpclaw nodded, flicking his tail to summon the cats Leafstar listed to go with him. "Okay. We'll see you at sunhigh. Come on, Heatherpaw, Tinycloud, Eggwhisker!" The broad-shouldered tabby tom turned and stalked along the border, Tinycloud and Eggwhisker following close behind while Heatherpaw scrambled to keep up.

"Ready?" Leafstar asked, turning back to her patrol. Shrewtooth nodded and stretched open his jaws, tasting the air for the rogue scent.

"There's an odd scent coming from back that way. It might be rogue, but I'm not sure." Shrewtooth reported finally, clamping his jaws shut and rising to his paws.

"Lead the way." Leafstar dipped her head as Shrewtooth took the lead as the made their way back toward the carrionplace.

"Wait!" Rabbitleap hissed suddenly, skidding to a halt just in front of Leafstar. "Follow me! The brown tom hared through the tall grass, the patrol on his heels. As they moved, Leafstar caught the pungent scent of the rogue cats, drifting through the air.

 _They've been here. Inside our borders. They must've crossed last night, after the dusk patrol and before the dawn patrol this morning._

"Look!" Harryclaw yowled, racing to a patch of trampled grass. The grey tom began to claw at the beaten-down grass stems, ripping them away until he sat back on his haunches and lifted a mangled brown lump from the grass. He spat it out, and it landed by Leafstar's paws.

Leafstar peered closely at the half-eaten remains of a vole that lay before her.

 _Rogues. First they dare to enter our territory, then they steal our prey and leave perfectly good kill behind to become crow-food!_

"Rogues." Shrewtooth whispered, pushing the prey aside.

"We need to run them off our territory." Harryclaw hissed, his tail lashing and his eyes burning with cold fire.

Leafstar felt icy claws of gear race down her spine. _Is this what Firestar meant? Will SkyClan be destroyed by rogues?_


	4. Chapter Two

Pebbles showered down into the gorge as the patrol raced down the slope, their claws unsheathed in a desperate attempt to keep from plummeting to the base of the rock while still keeping their urgent pace. Harryclaw bounded easily down the path, Eggwhisker and Heatherpaw hard on his paws as Sharpclaw and Leafstar led the patrol into the gorge.

Heartbeats after Harryclaw's paws hit the gritty stone at the base of the gorge, Leafstar's voice called out from the top of the Rockpile, Sharpclaw leaping up onto the stone to stand by his leader's side.

"Cats of SkyClan, gather to hear my words!"

Harryclaw hared away from the path and slipped between the gathering cats to sit near the base of the Rockpile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his sister, Firecloud, emerging from the shade of the nursery with Honeywing by her side and Birdscar just behind, gently herding her kits to sit near Slywhisker and Shrewtooth under a slight overhang. Firecloud shot him a questioning look, but Harryclaw simply flicked his tail toward the place where Leafstar stood.

 _Wait two heartbeats and maybe you'll know what Leafstar wants._ He snapped silently as he turned away from his sister's searching gaze.

"What's up?" Harryclaw flicked his tail as Sandypelt and Heatherpaw sat down beside him.

"Just got back from a hunting patrol." Sandypelt replied, wrapping his dark tail around his paws. "Do you know what Leafstar wants?"

"Probably." Harryclaw meowed simply as Leafstar raised her tail for silence above the gathered Clan.

"Today, the dawn patrol discovered a new threat to our Clan." Leafstar began slowly, as if carefully choosing her words. "Some rogues were scented along the Twolegplace border. It seems there were many of them, not just a couple of strays."

The Clan began to murmur slightly as Leafstar paused, uncertainty flickering in her amber gaze.

"Could it be Dodge?" Sagefur asked loudly, and from the look on Leafstar's face, Harryclaw could see that the grey tabby tom had echoed her own fears.

"What if we have to fight again?" Creekfeather meowed.

"Leafstar lost a life last time!" Clovertail added softly from just behind the place Harryclaw sat. Her words sent shivers down the young grey tom's spine. Although that battle had been moons before his birth, Harryclaw had heard much talk of that deadly battle against Dodge's rogues. The thought of his mother loosing a life seemed nearly impossible to him.

 _Leafstar can take care of herself. She will be leader for many moons more._ He told himself silently. _Right?_

Leafstar once again silenced the murmurings with a wave of her tail. "We have no proof that it is Dodge. It may be just a couple of loners passing by, or-"

"What about Sol?" Harryclaw blinked in surprise at the sound of Sandypelt's voice echoing clearly through the gorge. "How do we know he won't come back?"

Harryclaw felt fear grip his chest. _Sol._ The power-hungry cat who had stolen Harryclaw and his littermates when they were still kits in an attempt to gain more power within SkyClan. As soon as Leafstar and the rest of SkyClan had discovered his troublesome plot, Sol had been driven from SkyClan. Although SkyClan had never seen him again, who was to say that he wouldn't be back to try something else?

It was quite obvious to Harryclaw that this was the first time any thought of Sol had crossed her mind. Her claws slid out, gouging tiny marks into the Rockpile. Beside her, Sharpclaw bristled, the fur on the back of his neck rising and making him look much more menacing. Alarm and fear rippled through the Clan at Sandypelt's suggestion, and Harryclaw could see Honeywing pulling her kits close to her side, as if to protect them from the unknown danger.

Finally, Leafstar began to speak again. "We can not be sure who the threat is, but I want SkyClan to be stronger. We need to be ready for whatever is to come. For this reason, it is time to make three new apprentices."

Three delighted squeals sounded from near the nursery as Chivekit, Ashkit, and Furzekit raced forward to stand before the Rockpile. Birdscar shot after them in a vain attempt to groom their mussed fur.

"Chivekit, Ashkit, Furzekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is now time for you to be apprenticed." The three kits seemed to glow with pride as Leafstar announced their names.

"Chivekit, from this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you shall be known as Chivepaw. Rabbitleap, you are ready for an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Billystorm, an I expect you to pass on everything you know to your apprentice." As Leafstar spoke, Rabbitleap left his place from beside Eggwhisker to stand before Chivepaw. The two touched noses, and Harryclaw watched as Rabbitleap led the young tom to sit before the Clan.

"Furzekit," Leafstar continued. The young tortoiseshell she-cat looked up at her leader, excitement and gratitude glowing in her amber eyes. "From this moment forward, until you take your place as a warrior of SkyClan, you shall be called Furzepaw. Sparrowpelt has recieved training from Sandstorm and myself, and I believe he is ready to take on a second apprentice"

Harryclaw watched as Sparrowpelt padded forward, the senior warrior's eyes glowing as he touched noses to his new apprentice and led the young she-cat to sit beside her brother and Rabbitleap.

"And finally Ashkit." Leafstar smiled down at the young tom as she spoke. "From this day until you are named a warrior, you will be known as Ashpaw. Shrewtooth, you have proved to be a wonderful warrior, and SkyClan honors you for your loyalty and integrity. I know you will do well in training Ashpaw."

The thin black tom stepped forward nervously as Leafstar summoned him. He gently touched noses with the newly-named Ashpaw, then took the young grey-black tom to stand by his littermates.

"SkyClan, I present unto you Ashpaw, Chivepaw, and Furzepaw!" Leafstar announced. Almost at once the Clan took up the cry of congratulations for the three new apprentices.

"Furzepaw! Ashpaw! Chivepaw!" Harryclaw yowled as the three apprentices excitedly leapt to their paws and raced to meet Birdscar and Slywhisker, who showered their kits with joyful licks and congratulations.

 _She sure knows how to push the troubling thoughts of the Clan aside._ Harryclaw thought as he watched Leafstar slowly descend from the Rockpile. Although the Clan's spirits were lifted, Harryclaw could see the worry in his mother's eyes.

 _There's something she didn't say. And I intend to know what._


End file.
